Why mode B of an electric car does not improve its range

The majority of electric cars, but also hybrids and plug-in hybrids, offer to intensify their energy recovery when lifting the foot with a mode B (brake) on the gear selector, or even via paddles on the steering wheel. Regenerative braking is a technology that converts the kinetic energy of the vehicle into movement in order to recharge the battery during deceleration phases. This system actually makes it possible to improve the efficiency of electric and hybrid cars, and yet, switching to mode B will most often not give you a single kilometer of autonomy.

So, if the different energy recovery options allow the car to slow down more when the driver takes their foot off the accelerator, a more intense setting does not regain more energy during use. Indeed, even if recuperation is completely deactivated when the foot is lifted, as certain electric cars allow, regenerative braking still takes place at the start of the brake pedal's travel. The maximum power of the current which can be retransmitted to the battery is most often unchanged between the different recovery modes, which only influence the part of this deceleration being accessible without having to touch the brake pedal.

But then why increase energy recovery when getting up?

However, being able to adjust the intensity of energy recovery when you lift your foot is a real advantage of electric cars. For example, it is possible with certain models to drive with just one pedal most of the time. This driving mode, often called “one pedal”, offers very significant deceleration when you lift your foot until the vehicle comes to a complete stop, maintained by the traditional brakes.

Other drivers may, on the contrary, prefer to completely cut off energy recovery and thus benefit from a “free wheel” mode, in fact perhaps the most conducive to efficient driving. Indeed, if it is then necessary to juggle frequently between the two pedals, this adjustment allows you to be aware of the mode of operation of the car at each moment (slight energy recovery, free wheels or slight acceleration), without having to to refer to an econometrician or other digital display.

Finally, the majority of drivers can appreciate an intermediate level of recovery, comparable to the engine braking of a thermal car, with the added possibility of refining the intensity of this deceleration depending on the driving conditions.